This week’s update looks at a few hefty spheres in the mobile space: source of internet access, Apps vs mobile web, and m-commerce.

Mary Meeker’s presentations tend to create quite a bit of buzz and this time was no different. Recently released she reinforces her views around the strength of evolving behaviour with mobility at the core, definitely worth a look for some great stats and insights.

With so many messaging options in the market one has to ask themselves how long the sturdy SMS will remain the norm? It doesn’t seem to be in danger of fading anytime soon but the mobile instant messenger market comprised of the likes of FB messenger and WhatsApp is certainly looking to challenge however fragmentation in this space does hinder.

And the perennial debate of App vs. mobile web…in typical fashion both formats have their share of strengths and weaknesses however great to see this ecosystem so alive and healthy. Will we see drastic differences of sources of internet access vary by country? Level of mobile penetration? Culture?

Also, m-commerce seems to be that final step that will really fuel company confidence in mobile as a channel. While m-commerce at POS continues to struggle in most markets, certainly not helped by Apple’s decision to not include NFC in their iPhone 5, South Korea bumps this trend with impressive mobile NFC payments figures recorded this year.

While all these issues will take some time to settle no one can argue it isn’t exciting. On a final note the differences we see between mobile usage and behaviour in the developed vs developing world continue to amaze with how innovative people can be when using the same technology in different states of progress.

Mary Meeker's Latest Must-Read Presentation On The State Of The Web

Date 03rd December, 2012

Presentation to see via the below link.

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Mobile Internet traffic gaining fast on desktop Internet traffic

Date 03rd December, 2012

Mobile traffic is growing so fast globally that in some places it has already surpassed desktop traffic. That was one of the key conclusions of a year-end Internet trends report delivered this evening at Stanford University by Kleiner Perkins venture capitalist Mary Meeker. Once known as "Queen of the Net," Meeker reported that 13 percent of all Internet traffic is now executed from a mobile device, up from 4 percent just two years ago. In tech-savvy India, mobile Internet traffic has reached 60 percent, surpassing desktop Internet traffic, which has declined to 40 percent.

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This week’s update will go a bit beyond just mobile. As you may have heard already, Microsoft is looking to patent glasses that deliver augmented reality in users' views of the world. They said that the glasses could prove useful in a variety of situations, providing examples of sports matches, business conferences, or when users are travelling in cities they don’t know.

Sounds familiar right? Indeed, the Microsoft product would rival Google's Project Glass: augmented reality glasses expected to be released to developers next year, with a commercial launch planned for 2014.

2013 is predicted to be Microsoft’s year with the launch of Windows 8 and all the devices that come with it. In addition to that, Apple, a direct competitor, has a few problems to worry about as Samsung just announced they will stop the production of batteries for Apple products… The question is, will Samsung continue to stop producing all the other components it also produces for Apple and could this hinder its own revenue? Is it worth sacrificing this business to kill the competition?+

But back to glasses! Interestingly enough, a recent Juniper Research market report suggests smart glasses and other wearable tech could be worth $1.5 billion (£935 million) worldwide by 2014, with sales expected to boom thereafter.

Let’s hope that Microsoft glasses won’t be like this…

On another note and because we are advertisers, we should be threatened by this project funded on KickStarter which appears to be the ultimate box to… get rid of digital ads.

The creator has already reached his money goal of a $150,000 and he has 10 days left to potentially double it. The “good” thing about this box is that it blocks ads from the modem, even before they reach any of your connected devices, whether it’s your classic desktop PC or your brand new Kindle tablet…

If you want to know more about the project it’s here.

Finally, a little gift from us to start embracing the Christmas spirit! If you’re an Apple fan (not to say nerd), a user has created a YouTube channel where you can watch EVERY SINGLE Apple TV ad.

Brilliant work representing Apple’s culture in 485 videos.

2013 will be Microsoft’s year

Date 28th November, 2012

2013 will be the year that Microsoft becomes relevant once again. It will begin to use its dominant position on the desktop and in gaming to build an exciting ecosystem that will make Microsoft a compelling choice for consumers, and by extension an increasingly important advertising partner for marketers. Studying trends is very useful when making predictions because a prediction in essence, should be the observation of a trend with the expectation that it will continue at a certain pace, to materially change the reality of the people who will live that change.

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U.K.’s First 4G Network, EE, Increases Data Limits By ~60% On Some Mobile Broadband Price-Plans; Still No Unlimited Data Tariffs

Date 28th November, 2012

The U.K.’s first — and currently only — 4G network, run by carrier EE, has announced it is increasing the size of the data caps on some of its mobile broadband tariffs by around 60 percent, while keeping its pricing structurethe same. The network has faced criticism for offering relatively small monthly data caps for a high-speed network — caps that could be hit rapidly by people using the network to stream or download rich content like video.

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Now it's all about Christmas and worrying about all those presents you need to buy for your various acquaintances. This week the spotlight will very much be on articles surrounding m-commerce in its various forms.

Every holiday season results in a massive boost for mobile as people buy/upgrade their devices and make purchases via their mobile platforms. Tablets received a massive boost last holiday season and analysts are betting on a repeat. With a host of tablet options available it will be interesting to see marketshare once the holiday rush has settled a little. Important to remember that it's the retailers embracing this digital age, not being threatened by it, that are providing value to their customers via raising awareness of location specific offerings and enabling valuable in-store experiences through their customers mobile devices.

Finally, the mobile phone is doing a fairly good job of providing a camera for the masses, will the camcorder last much longer?

Smartphones Hit the Holidays

Date 20th November, 2012

More than half of US smartphone and tablet users plan to use their devices for holiday shopping, research indicates, and they are willing to actually buy more items via mobile this holiday season than ever before.

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PayAnywhere jumps into mobile-payment ring

Date 19th November, 2012

Square and PayPal have a new, national competitor in the crowded market for mobile-payment credit card readers. It's PayAnywhere.

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Nowadays, Apple and Samsung are really the top dogs in the smartphone world while HTC and LG are left fighting over the scraps. Smartphones are pretty popular but it seems that very few companies know how to actually make money selling them… Also, BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) will unveil its first two (YES, you read two) smartphones running on the new BB10 operating system in January.

RIM said it will hold a launch event simultaneously around the world for the unveiling – which will also coincide with the official launch of the much delayed (VERY much delayed) BB10 OS. Reuters has been told that the company is “working hard right now to make sure all the bits and pieces and all the details are in place” for the launch.

So now you’ve got to start thinking about which phone to choose as the decision will become less easy. Will you go for the longer but lighter, thinner but faster iPhone 5? The Samsung beast called the GS3…Or will you finally go for the bright red or flashy yellow Nokia Lumia 920 with the colourful Windows 8 operating system? But wait, what if the BlackBerry 10 operating system will bury the hatchet between you and BBM, even between you and your professional emails?!

Now you’re starting to realise how painful and (extremely) expensive Christmas might be for you this year. Your beloved father in-law wants a smart TV, your daughter wants a new iPhone (obviously your son prefers the Nokia), then your wife wants the new iPod Nano and your sister wants an iPad Mini… And the list goes on.

Have a nice week,

PS: Time to start thinking about saving.

Six reasons content marketers need to think mobile

Date 13th November, 2012

The world has fallen in love with their smart phones and tablets. People talk about having an emotional connection with their devices. The iphone 5 promo video described it as a “unique relationship”. Keith Nation from ORM London says this is because: “They are always on you and they are always on”. American advertising consultant Cindy Gallop said at a recent Guardian marketing summit that: “People turn on their phones all the time to get little pellets of love. They want to see that people want to be in touch with them”.

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RIM sees BB10 devices in stores soon after launch

Date 13th November, 2012

(Reuters) - Research In Motion is confident its new BlackBerry 10 devices will be 100 percent ready for the January 30 launch and available in stores "not too long after" that, Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear said on Tuesday. "We're working hard right now to make sure all the bits and pieces and all the details are in place for the date, when the devices will be available for consumers and enterprises," Tear told Reuters in an interview.

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Have Apple begun to fade a little? There is no doubt that they are, and will, remain a hugely successful company however there seems to have been a few missteps (maps) and decisions of late (iPad 4) that put into question their ability to truly inspire. Their products remain a thing of beauty however their current spate of improvements seem less ground-breaking and more like refinements. Will this satisfy a market that is accustomed to being astounded with their every announcement? With increased competition coming from all sides will they retain their position as the mobile 'untouchables'?

This leads on nicely to a few developments in the Android camp. Typically it's been observed that Apps are designed for iOS first with Android a close second. There may be a shift in these positions as payments trends move towards a freemium model. This would allow developers to leverage the greater scale of the Android userbase that have been historically more adverse to paying for initial access to Apps.

The dust has settled a little after all the Microsoft announcements of last week however rumours surrounding their future mobile ventures still very much remain at the forefront. Whispers mention another tablet, gaming focused, and potential mobile phone hardware.

Finally, a few articles on M-payments and increase of internet traffic across mobile devices. QR codes, remember those? Well a few guidelines on what to think about with them below and lastly Foursquare vs. Yelp, who shall be victorious?

We've passed peak Apple: it's all downhill from here

Date 7th November, 2012

The story of Apple Incorporated is far from over. It is the most valuable company in the world, by a large margin. Apple produces a range of exceptional and much loved products. It employs many of the most talented designers and engineers on the planet. But I think Apple has peaked and the story of the next few years will be one of a slow but real decline.

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Android app revenue on the rise, closing gap with iOS

Date 7th November, 2012

For a while now, developers looking to make serious money selling their apps were better off trying their luck at Apple’s (AAPL) App Store than with Google (GOOG) Play. But over at Tech-Thoughts, Sameer Singh has found some new data suggesting that in-app purchases are likely helping Google Play close the gap.

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The below snapshot could sum-up what was qualified as the official Windows Phone 8 announcement. Headed by Microsoft Corporate VP Joe Delfiore, the CEO Steve Balmer AND Mademoiselle Jessica Alba, a few mobile (male) geeks would say it was a success. You still can't see why?

Well,... apart from the Alba effect, this week in mobile has been indeed dominated by Microsoft and its new product (Windows Phone 8 obviously...).

But don't tell me you just pre-ordered your Surface tablet and forgot that Apple announced the iPad Mini a few weeks ago? Even if Microsoft was very active recently, other mobile players have not been lazy! A war against the new Apple tablet, the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Google Nexus 7 is about to begin and the mobile market itself is, as usual, still growing with global smartphone shipments rising 45% Year-on-Year in Q3 2012 as well as tablets shipments by 45%.

Moreover, EE's superfast service (4G) just launched in the UK and it is covering 11 major UK cities and they expect to have at least 98% of the country covered by the end of 2014

Finally, the inner Santa in us will be making us splurge more this Christmas, and as trends suggest, this will be happening increasingly via smartphones and tablets!

Mobile paid search gives higher CTR than desktop: report

Date 31st October, 2012

Paid search CPCs in the US were around 50% cheaper on smartphone than on desktop in Q3, according to data from The Search Agency. CPCs on smartphones stood at 31 cents compared to 49 cents on tablet and 59 cents on desktop, meaning the level of discount offered on smartphone is roughly the same as Q3 2011. This is despite the fact that smartphone ads apparently have a much higher CTR than both computers and tablets.

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Smartphone and tablet ownership rockets

Date 26th October, 2012

A survey by the Mobile Operators Association and YouGov shows smartphone ownership has doubled in less than a year. Over half (58 percent) of mobile phones in the UK are smartphones, and 20 percent of adults own a tablet, a survey has found. The findings from the Mobile Operators Association (MOA) and YouGov also show that emailing and accessing social networks are the most popular activities for mobile phone users, with 43 percent and 40 percent using their device for each respectively.

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